For the past 25 years or so, Christmas has usually been an Alpine affair. There have been dashes down to Palm Beach north of Sydney, one Christmas in Toronto and a few years back we tried Zürich but it wasn’t the same as being up at our cosy flat in St Moritz with the ancient Denon stereo still spinning well-worn Christmas CDs (Helene Fischer, Idina Menzel, Tatsuro Yamashita, Dean Martin, Ella Fitzgerald and Nancy Wilson), the same decorations on the tree, the amazing smells coming from the kitchen (cardamom, yuzu and dill) and the sounds of the village coming alive for the season. 

This year, for the briefest moment, we thought about doing Christmas in Lisbon and got quite excited about filling the shopping trolley at El Corte Inglés and lunch on the sunny terrace. But then we realised that there would be new decorations to be purchased, revised lighting requirements (it is very different to find just the right level of gold light, which is why my mom tends to paint every bulb to take the edge off) and a race to ensure that Lisbon has all the right Swedish and Estonian ingredients. No such worries up in St Moritz as we know every supplier and retailer, and dinner on the 24th comes together seamlessly thanks to our solid set of purveyors. 

Having an advance party in place is also useful and for the coming season our Zürich colleague Aude is running the show in our St Moritz pop-up shop and mini café at the Hotel Steffani. By far our smallest retail outpost, it has already been doing a roaring trade and if you happen to be up around the Engadine this winter be sure to drop by for a mocha and any presents that you might need over the coming weeks. As ever, we’ll be hosting a little Christmas cocktail sometime between 25 and 31 December. So keep an eye out for the invite – likely to be sent some time next week.

Before pouring gin and tonics (the evening ritual from the 22nd, this is where the fresh yuzu comes in) and breaking open the rice crackers from Mitsukoshi, there’s still a bit of ground to cover. I was hoping to be in London yesterday and today for the Christmas Market but there’s a rather exciting project under way in Zürich that requires many hands on deck to pull it together and get it humming for the year ahead. You might recall that we have a Monocle apartment at the Oxen in Küsnacht – just down the lake from our offices in Seefeld. From next week the Monocle Townhouse will be nearing the finishing line as furniture arrives from various corners of Europe and ‘real’ lightbulbs are screwed into position for just the right tone and glow. An elegant annex of the Widder Hotel in the heart of Zürich, the Monocle Townhouse will be available for short or long stays and is perfectly positioned for quick connections from the main station and an easy tram hop to our café, shop and Trunk Clothiers outlet on Dufourstrasse. Official photography will take place in the new year, so expect a proper first peek early in January. Also, Monocle Patrons can expect a special invite to a debut cocktail at the start of spring.

If you’re passing through Zürich, pop by to say hello, grab a negroni and enjoy the Christmas mood. Ditto in London and Paris as they do negronis as well! Much of the Monocle advertising crew will be in Zürich this week as we plot out 2026, so it will be a full house and we’re on hand if you want to discuss big ideas for your brand or business. The bar is always open from 16.00. Wishing you a good week ahead. We’re in the home stretch!

Enjoying life in ‘The Faster Lane’? Click here to browse all of Tyler’s past columns. 

In the 12th arrondissement, near Aligre market, Le Square Trousseau feels at once breezily modern but in ways pleasantly unchanged since its opening in 1907 (writes Daphné Hézard). There’s a belle époque elegance to the bevelled glass, marble mosaics and Thonet chairs, while the menu features classics such as escalope de veau à la crème, steak tartare and crêpes Suzette, plus twists such as the toothsome miso-sesame salmon.

Overseen by Mickael and Laurence Jarno and chef Didier Coly, the restaurant’s reliability runs from the genial staff to the opening times: 08.00 to midnight every day. It’s also a place for all ages, where warmer days see children drawing in chalk (provided) on the pavement outside. The charming, hand-drawn pooch logo on the menu hints at a playful side that belies the effort that goes into the service here. 

“I have now been in the kitchen for 40 years,” says Coly. “I started at age 16 as an apprentice in Corrèze and have been working with Le Square’s team for more than 15 years.” Coly’s recipe for success is simple. “It’s a very pretty, authentic bistro,” he says. “[We offer] homemade cuisine with a touch of modernity.”
squaretrousseau.com

Ukrainian restaurateur Anna Andriienko opened Tatar Bunar earlier this year to bring cuisine inspired by her homeland to London. Here, she chats to The Monocle Weekend Edition about traditional cheese pancakes for breakfast, the redolent flavours of her Christmas table and the trusty brands in her winter wardrobe.

Where do we find you this weekend?
In Victoria Park with a filter coffee and a pastry from Pophams.
 
What’s for breakfast?
At home it’s syrniki (cheese pancakes) and a filter coffee made using my V60 dripper.
 
A Sunday soundtrack? 
‘Baby’ by DakhaBrakha, a folk quartet from Kyiv.
 
What’s on the menu for your Christmas meal?
In Ukraine we cook kutia, a sweetened grain pudding. Last year I made a good vegan kutia using Minor Figures plant-based milk. 
 
Festive tipple of choice?
A negroni or a glass of orange wine.
 
Which brands does your wardrobe currently consist of?
Plenty of great Ukrainian brands: My Theater by Dariia Bila, Kseniaschnaider and The Coat by Katya Silchenko. And some British staples too: Simone Rocha, Barbour and JW Anderson are my favourites.
 
All I want for Christmas is?
To celebrate with my family and friends in a peaceful Kyiv.   
 
The naffest present I’ve received is?
A shoebox with artwork made of red roses inside and a pet rabbit.

An all-time Salzburg classic, pofesen is a traditional dish made from stale rolls or slices of white bread. “Think of it as French toast with a filling,” says Monocle’s Swiss chef Ralph Schelling, who adds plum jam to his version of this Austrian dessert. Tuck in.

Serves 4

Ingredients 
3 eggs
130ml milk
100g powidl (plum jam made from fresh or dried plums)
8 slices of stale white bread (about 2 to 3 days old, approximately 1cm thick)
2 tbsps butter
Sprinkling of icing sugar

Method
1.
Whisk in the milk with the eggs.

2.
Spread the powidl (plum jam) on the slices of bread and sandwich them together in pairs.

3.
Dip the filled bread in the whisked egg-and-milk mixture.

4.
In a pan, fry the bread in butter until golden brown.

5.
Sprinkle the pofesen with powdered sugar and serve.
ralphschelling.com

If you’re hungry for more, Monocle’s winter newspaper, ‘Alpino’, has three other desserts to choose from and is on newsstands now.

Originally known as the Alpenrose, the Rosa Alpina hotel was the first to have a telephone in the village of San Cassiano (writes Myriam Zumbühl). Its owners, the Pizzinini family, were also the first to install a ski lift in the resort in 1961. Despite its modern façade, the 51-key address retains the sought-after intimacy of a family-run hotel.

The resort is now reopening for its first winter season as Aman Rosa Alpina following an extensive redesign by Belgian designer Jean-Michel Gathy, who reinterpreted the former historic inn into a mountain retreat with cosmopolitan elegance. Gathy conveys the warmth of Alpine hospitality through earthy browns and calm greys that contrast with the Dolomites’ dramatic limestone spires.

While the hotel operates under the Aman Group, it’s still managed by the Pizzinini family. Third-generation hoteliers Hugo and Ursula Pizzinini make a point of honouring tradition while introducing a fresh level of refined hospitality to this true landmark. 
aman.com